This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Pickups are a popular type of vehicle because, at least in part, the pickup enables objects of various sizes to be placed in the bed of the pickup and then transported. The bed of the pickup generally has a floor surface that is bounded by a front wall, side walls and a back wall. At least one of the front wall, the side walls and the back wall may be movable to facilitate placing objects into the bed and removing objects from the bed.
Covers are often used to enclose the bed of the pickup to conceal or otherwise protect the contents of the bed. These covers are typically soft tonneau covers that can be removed or folded or are hard bed covers that are generally planar and may be of unitary construction or are segmented to be stacked in a bi or tri-fold type configuration. These covers can be positioned in an extended position generally covering the bed or in a stowed position generally exposing at least a portion of the bed.
In many circumstances, a soft-type tonneau cover is preferred in order to provide simplified storage of the retracted tonneau cover, variable concealment positions, convenient installation and removal, and/or reliable concealment of the bed. However, in some conventional soft-type tonneau cover systems, assembly of the soft-type tonneau cover to the support structure can be difficult and, in some cases, cumbersome. In particular, in some conventional soft-type tonneau cover systems, a header assembly, which carries the rolled-up soft-type tonneau cover, can be difficult to install, remove, and/or fasten to the support structure mounted to the walls of the pickup.
Therefore, there exists a need to provide a soft-type tonneau cover system that is capable of providing sufficient protection to the bed and/or its contents. Moreover, there exists a need to provide a soft-type tonneau cover system this is more easily configured, mounted, and/or removed from the pickup.